Warriors-Rockets power rankings: KD remains on fire, Harden’s night a blur
Fast Break blogger Vignesh Venkataraman, aka Viggy, will be sizing up the Warriors and Rockets after every game. Here’s the post-Game 1 breakdown:
The Hot List
1. Kevin Durant
Previous rank: 2
The numbers say: A game-high 29 points on 9-22 shooting. KD also chipped in 5 rebounds, 4 assists, 1 steal, and 2 blocks in a whopping 44 minutes.
The eyes say: KD is the hammer and the anvil for the Warriors at this point. Called upon to play all but 4 minutes in this contest because of Steph’s finger injury and foul trouble, KD carried a number of lineups seemingly singlehandedly. His offense is locked in, his defense is locked in, and with LeBron absent from this postseason, he’s staking his claim to the “best player on Earth” title. Is there any doubt at this point that he’s earned it?
2. Andre Iguodala
Previous rank: NR
The numbers say: 16 points (!) on 6-9 shooting (!!) including 2-5 from beyond the arc (!!!). Also 5 rebounds, 4 assists, a steal, a block, stellar defense. A game-high +17 for the night.
The eyes say: Did you know that Andre Iguodala currently leads the NBA in dunks this postseason? While many have been the result of a high Curry-Green pick-and-roll, Iguodala has also powered his way to a number of transition and putback dunks as well. His defense against the likes of James Harden and Chris Paul needs no praise, and his calming presence on an occasionally-jittery starting lineup has yielded massive rewards, as the Warriors have gotten off to hot starts in both games this series.
3. Stephen Curry
Previous rank: 1
The numbers say: a mild 20 points on 6-16 shooting, to go with 3 rebounds, 5 assists, 2 steals, and a sneaky block.
The eyes say: Steph exited Game 2 in the first quarter with a gnarly dislocated left middle finger, and he returned with it popped back into place (and taped up aggressively). Adjusting to that injury took some time, but Steph eventually found some semblance of his normal shooting stroke and affected the game positively, particularly with his defense. He gets dinged because he again found himself in foul trouble by the middle of the third quarter; it looks like Steve Kerr’s appeal to Sonya Curry had no effect.
4. Austin Rivers
Previous rank: NR
The numbers say: 14 points on 5-8 shooting, including 4 made threes, 1 rebound, 2 assists, and 3 turnovers. Finished a team-high +10 in 24 minutes.
The eyes say: Rivers (and to a lesser extent, Eric Gordon) were the lone two standouts for the Rockets. In each of their scoring flurries, the Rockets cut into the deficit and did enough to make the Warriors nervous; unfortunately for them, they couldn’t quite get over the hump. Rivers, in particular, nailed a bunch of threes that kept the Rockets in the game. Without his contributions, this would have likely been a blowout.
The Not List
1. James Harden
Previous rank: 1
The numbers say: 29 points on 9-19 shooting, 7 rebounds, 4 assists, 1 steal, and 6 turnovers.
His eyes say: Ouch.
My eyes say: Eye injury aside, it says a lot about the struggles of Harden this postseason that the Rockets honestly made more progress towards victory with him off the floor than with him on it. Harden had a statistically good game, but the box score entirely fails to capture how most of these numbers were put up long after the Warriors had (seemingly) put this game to bed. “Empty statistics” is the term that comes to mind.
As someone with atrocious vision, I do feel for Harden when he says that he couldn’t see clearly for much of the game. You hate to see a series affected by injuries – hopefully the long 3-day gap gives him a chance to recover. In any case, perhaps affected by a tiring regular season carrying a team utterly dependent on his not-inconsiderable talents, Harden is slumping at the absolute worst time. But, as KD said after the game, no lead is safe with the Rockets, and he is a large reason why.
2. Clint Capela
Previous rank: 2
The numbers say: 14 points on 5-7 shooting, with 10 rebounds, but a team-worst -19 in single-game +/-.
The eyes say: Capela might have racked up a double-double, but it was the most anonymous double-double I’ve ever seen. The Warriors have almost entirely eliminated him as a lob threat for two consecutive games now, and his reluctance/inability to stick with players on the perimeter makes him a tough play. I predict that Mike D’Antoni will throw Nene or Kenneth Faried onto the floor more often in Game 3 if this keeps up.
3. Kevon Looney
Previous rank: NR
The numbers say: 2 points on 1-1 shooting; -10 in 16 minutes of play.
The eyes say: I am a proud and founding member of the “Kevon Looney should play more” advocacy group, and so it brings me little joy to have to put him on the “Not List” after this one game. Kevon got cooked in Game 2, with his usually stellar defense against smaller guards not having the usual effect. Chris Paul, in particular, sought out and won isolation matchups against Looney, prompting Steve Kerr to yank him and go with the Hamptons 5 for a much longer stretch in the fourth quarter. Looney’s surprising effectiveness against James Harden unfortunately doesn’t translate to CP3, which is a shame. Still, given the Warriors’ lack of depth at the five, and since Andrew Bogut is even less equipped to chase people around on the perimeter, Looney will continue to get his minutes. I fully expect him to regain his position as single-game +/- darling.